historie

Erik Thorvaldsson

Born in Norway in 950; exiled to Iceland and later Greenland; founder of the Eastern settlement.

Leif Eriksson

Son of Erik Thorvaldsson; explorer who visited Helluland, Markland, and Vinland.

Vinland

A location in North America, believed to be L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, where grapes were found.

Thule

Ancestors of the Inuit; first indigenous peoples encountered by Vikings.

Doctrine of Discovery

Legal framework established by papal decrees, allowing European powers to claim non-Christian lands.

Dum Diversas

Papal decree from 1452 permitting Portugal to invade and enslave non-Christians.

Inter Caetera

Papal bull issued in 1493, dividing newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement in 1494 that divided the newly discovered lands of the Americas between Spain and Portugal.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer whose voyages led to the European awareness of the Americas; made four voyages.

San Salvador

Island in the Bahamas named by Columbus, believing he had reached the Indies.

Arawaks

Indigenous people encountered by Columbus in the Caribbean; initially had peaceful relations.

Giovanni Caboto

Known as John Cabot; Italian explorer who claimed Newfoundland for England in 1497.

Amerigo Vespucci

Italian explorer who recognized South America as a new continent; the Americas are named after him.

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who made significant contributions to mapping North America between 1534 and 1542.

Iroquois

Indigenous people encountered by Jacques Cartier; relations were often tense.

Kanata

Word used by Donnacona's sons to refer to their village; it became the name for Canada.

Pyrite

Mineral that Cartier mistakenly believed was gold during his explorations.

Vasco de Gama

Portuguese explorer who discovered the sea route to India by sailing around Africa.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Inca Empire in present-day Peru.

James Cook

British explorer known for his voyages to Australia and New Zealand.

Juan Ponce de León

Spanish explorer who explored Florida and sought the Fountain of Youth.

Henry Hudson

English explorer known for his explorations of the Hudson River and Hudson Bay.

Colony of the East

Settlement founded by Erik the Red in Greenland.

Fatal incident

Incident that led to Erik's exile from Iceland before moving to Greenland.

Slave hunt

Action organized by Columbus on his second voyage to enslave Arawaks.

Scurvy

Disease affecting Cartier's crew during winter, addressed with aid from Indigenous peoples.

Explorations and cartography

Field involving mapping and understanding new lands during the Age of Exploration.

Troisième voyage

Third voyage of Columbus that led to his arrest for mismanagement.

Epidemic

Event leading to Erik Thorvaldsson's death around the year 1000.

Brutality of colonists

Descriptive term for the harsh treatment of Indigenous peoples by European explorers.

Newfoundland

Location claimed by John Cabot for England in his search for a passage to China.